Art civilizes us and it connects us and activates us. And so it's really important to connect with compassion, with stories about people who are different from us.

I'm a horrible person. And it's just coming out in my work.

You know you've made it when you've been moulded in miniature plastic. But you know what children do with Barbie dolls - it's a bit scary, actually.

I do tend to move on anyway. This is a part of my life, but it doesn't rule my life.

It was fantastic to be able to have my kids on set. Dash, my eldest son, who’s not quite five, was into knights and his godmother had given him a plastic Marks & Spencer knights’ outfit and [first assistant director] Tommy Gormley said that he could stand to protect me during the scene where Clive [Owen] is talking about the immensity of sitting on the throne. I’m actually looking through an archway at my son standing in his knights’ costume protecting me!

I look at someone's face and I see the work before I see the person. I personally don't think people look better when they do it; they just look different.

The great thing about theater is that when it's great, you'll remember it for the rest of your life. But if you go see ten shows, you'll only get five - if you're lucky - that'll give you that experience. But the rest, at the very least, will be interesting.